The invention relates to drilling apparatus, and more particularly to drilling apparatus especially adapted for drilling holes in studs and joists through which to route wire and plumbing without exerting countertorque on a handle of the drilling apparatus.
In the constructing of buildings, a frame often is constructed of wooden wall studs, floor joists, and rafter assemblies. Electrical wiring and plumbing often is later routed through the joists and/or studs, so after assembly of the frame, holes must be drilled in the various joists and studs to allow such routing of electrical wiring and plumbing. In the past, such holes have been drilled by workers using large, powerful hand-held electric drills that typically have motors of a horsepower or more. Such drills generate a great deal of torque during drilling of the holes. The drill bits utilized often are large, sometimes over an inch in diameter. The drilling usually needs to be accomplished as rapidly as possible. Therefore, the drill operator apply a great deal of force to the electrical drill to cause it to bore rapidly through the studs or joists. The high torque produced by the powerful motor and applied to the drill bits produces an equal countertorque on the handle of the drill being held by the operator. Such countertorque occassionally causes the operator to lose balance, sometimes causing loss of control of the drill and sometimes causing injury to the worker, especially if he happens to be standing on a ladder or scaffolding as he performs the drilling operation. As the drill bits become dull, the worker may experience considerable difficulty in applying enough force on the drill to accomplish the drilling as rapidly as desired. In such circumstances, workers sometimes use one hand to operate the drill and use their other hands to reach around to the back side of the joist or stud being drilled in order to brace themselves to apply more force to the drill. This practice has resulted in severe injuries to workers. Such an injury may occur if the drill bit unexpectedly "punches through" the joist and cuts into the operator's hand. Another problem encountered by workers attempting to drill wire and plumbing routing holes is that joists frequently are spaced along 16 inch centers. The drill bits utilized frequently are quite long, and, in combination with the length of the electric drill being used, cannot be fit in the spacings between the joists. Consequently, the operator must incline the drill bits and drill holes move perpendicularly through the joists. The non-perpendicular holes may cause difficulty later during pulling the electrical wiring and/or plumbing through the routing holes.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for an improved device that allows workers to safely, rapidly, and accurately drill plumbing and electrical cable routing holes through wooden studs and joists.